Trilogy Outtakes
by thestupidgenius1123
Summary: REQUESTED. Deleted scenes from the trilogy. Should probably read the trilogy first! Summary inside. Set between Choices and Consequences. Fax. Rated TEEN. [Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. All rights reserved to James Patterson. No infringement or copyright intended.]
1. Chapter 1

**Trilogy Outtakes**

**WARNING: Do ****not**** read the Trilogy Outtakes without reading the trilogy. Um, yeah. You'd think that would be pretty self-explanatory, but…there's all kinds of people. YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND UNLESS YOU START WITH **_**Risks **_**FIRST.**

**Disclaimer: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson. **

**A/N: You would be amazed how many PMs I get, begging me for Max and Fang's baby's name or asking me to write a story after Consequences. Here's the truth: I didn't give the baby a name. SORRY. I wanted the ending to be at least a big ambiguous…**

**You can name that baby whatever you want! **

**Anyways, after seeing how many people really wanted a continuation to the trilogy - it was over really dang fast, wasn't it? - I decided to give in a little. There were a few "memories" of Max's from the time between Choices and Consequences that didn't make it into her journal. I'm not sure how many of them will be published, but…we'll have to wait and see. **

**Here we go! As of right now, they're Trilogy Outtakes. Um…because I'm not creative. **

**WARNING: They won't always be in order, but I'll always have the setting and all. Just make sure to read that each time. Gracias. **

**Deleted Scene One: Shopping with Aaron**

**Setting: Almost three months after Max and Fang find out they're pregnant with Tyler. Let's say…two weeks before they tell the others. **

"What's on the agenda today, _Mom_?" Iggy asked, his eyes lit with amusement.

"Hilarious," I muttered as I passed him, smacking him in the back of the head. He'd been all over the Mom jokes since almost three months ago, when he and Aaron accidentally found out I was pregnant. "We're going shopping."

"_Whaaat_? Max just said the s word!" Iggy cried. He hopped up on the counter and opened a pudding cup. I was suddenly reminded of a time when Gazzy had dared Iggy to use his left hand to do everything for an entire day, and he had. That included opening and eating a chocolate pudding cup, sans spoon. It was great.

I sighed and went to the fridge, getting out the apple juice. I filled a glass and put the jug back in the fridge. Iggy and I were the only ones up. "Truth be told, Ig, I'm growing out of my clothes pretty damn fast."

Iggy snorted. "So _you're _going shopping, or we all are?"

"We all are. You and Fang'll have to distract the others while I do some baby shopping."

"And by others, you mean Gaz, Emma, Holden and Nudge. Come on, we all know Angel's figured it out by now."

"Angel figured it out before _I _did," I muttered.

"Yeah, well, I called it in freshmen year. So I win."

"And your prize is a hormonal Max," I drawled, draining my glass and putting it in the sink. "Congrats."

Just then, Gazzy ran down the stairs, holding a book over his head. Emma was right after him.

"If you don't drop it this instant, I swear to God, Gazzy-"

"What? What'll you do to me, Em? You gonna beat me up?" Gazzy taunted, smirking. "I'd like to see you _try_."

Emma put her hands on her hips. They were both still in there pajamas. "Fang's been teaching me how to fight, you little germ. We've been training for a year."

"Really?" Gazzy said, lowering the book to behind his back. He pretended to be impressed. Then he rolled his eyes. "Well, that's a great effort, but I have you beat by, like, _ten _years."

"Gaz, give it to me!"

"If you didn't want me to find it, you shouldn't have put it in such an obvious place."

"It was in my _dresser_!" Emma said indignantly. "Why were you digging in my dresser?"

Now Gazzy glanced at me. "I _wasn't_…"

I rolled my eyes.

Gazzy sighed and opened the book, anyways.

"Gazzy, if you read that I will _never _talk to you again!" Emma screeched.

Gazzy read it, anyways. Out loud, in Emma's voice, he gushed, "Dear Diary, today, Chris Williams asked me if -"

He froze. Then he looked at Emma with narrowed eyes.

"You're going on a date with _Chris Williams_?" he demanded.

Emma reached forward and snatched the book out of his hands. "And _that's _why you don't steal my stuff."

"Emma!"

"What?"

"You can't go out with Chris Williams." Gazzy crossed his arms over his chest definitively.

Emma snorted. "And why _not_?"

"Because…he's not good enough."

"And Peyton is?" Emma shook her head. "You don't get to tell me who I can and can't be interested in."

"Em, as your _best friend_, I'm telling you -Chris is scum."

"Well, you better get used to hanging around scum, Gazzy. Because Chris might be around for a long time."

Gazzy stomped his foot. "If you're doing this because I went out with Peyton-"

"My life doesn't revolve around you! God, you can date every bitch on the planet and I still wouldn't base my choices on you, Gazzy. I like Chris, and I'll freaking marry him if I want to!"

Emma stormed up the stairs past a wide-eyed Holden. Gazzy groaned and dragged himself into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Holden followed.

"How bitchy can a preteen girl be?" Holden asked.

"You didn't know Max when she was twelve," Iggy said. I turned to glare at him.

"Peyton isn't a bitch," Gazzy said halfheartedly. "She's way nicer than Emma - ow!"

I spun around again to see Fang flicking Gazzy's ear. "Don't call Em a bitch."

"I _didn't_!"

"Can we stop throwing the b word around, _please_?" I demanded. "God, the mouths on the kids in this place."

Fang kissed me, his hands sliding around my abdomen. _How do you feel? _

_Besides the fact that I'm bursting out of my clothes, fantastic. _

He grinned. "Good to hear."

"Gaz, go put on some clothes," I said. "We're going shopping."

"What? Why? Who died?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "_Go_."

He slid back his chair and went up the stairs. Seconds later, I heard him pounding on a closed door.

"Go away, penis eater!"

I glanced at Fang, my eyes wide in shock.

"Emma-"

The door opened. We all heard Nudge say, "Gaz, just leave her alone. She's pissed."

"Language!" I shouted. I looked around the kitchen. "Be honest. Is the vulgarity around here my fault?"

"Depends," Iggy said. "You ever call anyone a penis eater?"

"Whatever. I'm not here to talk to _her_," Gazzy spat upstairs. "We're going shopping. Max said."

"Damn," Iggy mumbled. "They're really at each others' throats lately."

"Watch," I said. "In a couple weeks, they won't be able to keep their hands off each other."

"Maybe in a couple years, Em will be knocked up, too," Iggy hissed, quiet enough for just Fang and I to hear. Fang punched him in the shoulder.

"Put on some real clothes, Holden," I said, nodding toward the stairs. He grabbed a handful of grapes from the counter and ascended to his room, too.

"What's the plan?" Fang asked, leaning against the counter.

"There's a mall in town," I said. "Got some decent stores for the kids and a few that I want to go to."

"So Iggy and I entertain the others while you do what you gotta do," Fang said. "Cool. When do we leave?"

I glanced at his boxers. "As soon as you put on some pants."

• • •

I watched the others go up the escalator to the second floor of the mall. Once Fang's head disappeared from sight, I spun around and went inside the maternity store at the south entrance of the mall. A lot of the stuff in there I wouldn't need until months later - or even until after the baby was born - but it wouldn't hurt to start buying some things now.

I started looking at a line of bookshelves by the entrance of the store when I heard, "Max!"

Immediately, I spun around, dropping the book I'd been looking at. Aaron walked into the store.

"What are you doing here?"

I frowned. "God, you scared the hell out of me. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Aaron glanced down and saw the _What to Expect When You're Expecting _book at my feet.

"Ah, I see." He picked it up and started leafing through it. "Have you read this?"

"Why would I be buying it if I'd already read it?" I paused. "What reason would I have had to read that book before now?"

Aaron shrugged. "_Chapter One: Am I Pregnant_?" he snickered, earning himself a few nasty looks. I elbowed him. He bent down and whispered, "You could probably skip that chapter."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to keep myself in check. Aaron followed me, his nose still buried in the book. I moved toward maternity wear.

_Elastic jeans_?

Oh my, God. I hated Fang.

"Hm, _Chapter Fifteen: Complications During or Post-Labor_." He continued scanning the pages while I looked for maternity clothes that weren't disgustingly obvious or unflattering.

"Oh, my God, Max," Aaron said. "This lady said her hips popped out of place when she was in labor. Holy shit."

I glared at him. "Aaron, please stop."

He gasped, then. "Max, look!" He shoved the book under my nose and underlined the two words: _vaginal tearing_.

"_Really_?" I said, looking up incredulously at him. "You can't say that word?"

"What?"

I pointed to it. "Say that. Out loud. Seriously."

Aaron blushed. "No."

"Why not? Say it." I raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"No, Max. Cut it out."

V-…Va-… Vagi-"

Aaron covered my mouth. "Quit it! We're in public!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a baby. Give me the book."

He shook his head. "No way. This shit is actually really interesting." Then his face screwed up in complete disgust. "Ew! This girl pushed so hard her insides came _out_. That's not right." He started fake gagging.

"_Stop it_," I demanded through gritted teeth. As if I didn't already get rude looks as a teenager shopping for maternity stuff the last thing I need was Aaron acting like a seven year old.

Aaron stopped his fake vomiting and followed me toward a whole section dedicated to pillows. Aka, my kind of store.

"So have you told Dr. M yet?" Aaron asked conversationally.

"No," I said. "I told you, Fang and I are waiting until after graduation."

Aaron laughed. "If you and Fang were capable of waiting for anything, you wouldn't be in this situation."

I ignored him.

"Seriously, though. You really aren't going to tell her?"

"No. Why?"

"It's the responsible thing to do."

I looked at him. "If Fang and I were responsible, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Touché," Aaron said.

I pressed my hand against one of the body pillows. "I want this. I wonder if I could come up with a valid excuse as to why I'm buying a body pillow."

"Hmm…how about_, I'm pregnant_?"

I shook my head. "Aaron, I'm serious. No one else is finding out until after graduation."

Just then, I caught wind of a conversation going on across the store.

"_Dude, that's Maximum Ride, buying pregnancy stuff. Do you think…_?" the girl nudged her friend. Her friend looked at me, then at Aaron, then a the book in Aaron's hand, and pulled out her phone to take a picture.

Shoved my face into the body pillow I was looking at and I heard him say, "Fuck off."

I heard both girls gasp and one say, "That was rude."

Aaron let go of my head. "Maybe you should be going out of town to shop for this stuff."

"Going to another _state _wouldn't do me any good," I sighed. "Good thing graduation's in two weeks. Otherwise, I don't know how much longer we could keep this a secret."

Aaron sighed and started flipping through the book again.

I spun around, taking in the store. "I don't even know where to start."

I glanced at Aaron, seeking some friendly advice, only to see him snapping a picture of one of the pages with his phone.

"Aaron, the diagrams in there are for _learning_."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "I'm sending this to Fang, idiot. Says here you shouldn't have sex for months after the birth - that is if your…thing ever goes back to normal size. Which it probably won't, you know."

My _thing_.

What the hell.

"Did you honestly think a seven pound human being could come out of my _thing _and it would just shrink back to normal?" Aaron grimaced at my sharp tone. "Now, maybe I should just buy books today," I continued. "I don't really know what else to get. Except I do need some new clothes, too…"

"You should really make Fang read this," Aaron said, waving the book in my face. "He'll never want to screw you again."

I frowned at him. Then, past the book he was waving in my face, I saw the others walking toward this store.

_Fang! _I thought forcefully. Fang glanced up and his eyes landed on me and Aaron. I made a frantic motion, telling him to get them away from the store. He put his hand on Nudge's head and spun her around, steering her towards the food court. Iggy did the same for Gazzy and Emma. Holden followed without question and Angel waved at Aaron and I.

_Follow Fang_, I thought. She rolled her eyes and ran up to Aaron and I.

"Are you picking out clothes for the baby today, Max?"

"No, sweetie. I promise you can help me do that when it's time. Go catch up to Fang and the others."

Angel frowned. "But we should do it now."

"I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet, Ange."

"Boys like green. Girls like green." She made an obvious face a me.

"Yeah," Aaron said. "I don't see why the neutral color is yellow. Yuck. Who likes yellow?"

Just then, a woman who's stomach was about to pop walked past us. She froze when she heard Aaron and spun around. Her arms were full of yellow baby clothes and blankets and socks.

Embarrassed, I took the book from Aaron, shoved it onto the nearest shelf, and grabbed Angel and Aaron. I dragged them out of the store, huffing. Could I not get anything done?

We met up with the others at the food court.

"Buy anything, _Mom_?" Iggy snickered.

It took all of my will power not to punch him in his face.

"No," I ground out. "But I ran into Aaron. How coincidental, huh?"

"Weird," Iggy agreed. Fang sent me a sympathetic look, but walked over to the others to diffuse a fight between Emma and Gazzy. Iggy smirked. "I mean, I told him we were going shopping, but what are the odds that he'd show up at this very mall?"

I wanted to rip my hair out. "Yeah," I said. "What are the odds?"

Aaron leaned down and whispered to Ig, "Did you know her…thing could _rip_ during labor? Gross, right?"

"Ew," Iggy said. "Did you tell Fang?"

"Not yet," Aaron said. "But man, there's all kinds of crazy shit that could happen-"

I poked Aaron hard in the chest, "Some crazy shit will happen if you don't shut _up_. The others don't know and if you tell them a second before we get our diplomas I will kill you. Understood?"

"Yes."

I looked at Iggy, waiting for his response to my question. Aaron elbowed him, telling him to say something. "Of course."

I started towards the others.

"…_Mom_."

**A/N: Yeah, this was originally in Max's journal in **_**Consequences **_**instead of her gym class story- a less detailed synopsis of the trip, I just expanded on it - and I decided to publish it. I should really be tweaking **_**The Hardest Part**_** instead of writing this, but procrastination is my life, so…**

**Thanks for reading! I have homework to do. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey. Nothing much to say except keep your eyes peeled for my new story coming out next Sunday…**

**Deleted Scene Two: Heart-to-heart**

**Setting: The day of Max and Fang's honeymoon.**

Ella, Nudge and I stood in the hall of the hospital, waiting for Emma and Angel.

"Sucks that Ig had to ruin your honeymoon," Nudge said.

"Tell me about it," I said lowly. I was seconds away from running into Iggy's room and jumping Fang right where he sat. Honestly, if Iggy weren't in the ICU, I'd be wringing his neck. Asshole.

Emma and Angel stepped off the elevator. I shifted Tyler to my other hip and smiled at them.

"Max!"

"Hey, guys. Come on, let's go see Ig."

We walked down the hall and stopped at Iggy's room. The door was wide open. Gazzy was sitting on the empty bed next to the wall, flipping channels on the TV. Aaron, Holden and Fang were in the room, scattered around Ig's bed. Iggy was conscious, but a bit out of it.

"Did I cockblock ya?" Iggy croaked out. He looked freaking horrible; his skin covered in 3rd and 4th degree burns, gauze placed over the more gruesome injuries.

"You have…no idea," Fang said, anger evident in his voice. He rubbed his hand over his face. "No fucking idea."

Iggy wheezed out a laugh, closing his eyes.

The girls rushed into the room ahead of me and started gushing over Iggy and his wounds. I rolled my eyes. Fang stood up and gave Ella his chair. He walked over to me and took Tyler from my arms, kissing me in the process. Tyler leaned his head on Fang's shoulder and closed his eyes, his thumb in his mouth.

"I'm sorry," Fang mumbled again, reading my murderous thoughts directed toward Iggy.

"I know," I breathed. "We can't leave him. His burns are apparently so bad that the doc thinks they may have to amputate fingers."

Fang nodded, his hand rubbing Tyler's back as he watched me.

Our ride to the hospital had been…really uncomfortable. We'd been, like, seconds away from sealing the deal when the phone rang. Just imagine; the two of us throwing on clothes and jumping in the car, only to suffer a three hour drive to the hospital, both of us…ahem…_in need_. Seriously.

Ig was never getting his hands on another explosive. Ever.

As I tried to think of a foolproof plan that allowed me to sneak away with my husband, Fang got Tyler to go to sleep. He nudged me, nodding towards the empty bed across the room where Gazzy and Emma were sitting. They were as far apart from each other as the mattress would allow and they weren't speaking. I frowned.

"They're in that stage," Fang said in a hushed voice.

"You should talk to him," I said. Then I saw the look on Fang's face. "Fine. I'll talk to Em later."

I stepped around Fang and went over to Iggy. Angel and Nudge were now trying to speak to Emma and Gazzy, both of whom were brushing off any attempts at conversation. I sat on the opposite side Ella was on, sinking into one of the chairs.

"Hey, dickhead," I said. "How ya feeling?"

Iggy slowly turned his head to face me, smirking as much as his injured face would allow.

"Great, but not as good as you. How was the honeymoon?"

I gritted my teeth. "When you get out of this hospital, I'm going to dismember you."

Iggy rolled his eyes. "It's not like it was going to be your first time or anything. If it was, then I'd feel bad - maybe. But you and Fang have sex all the time. And Ella's making me wait. So…fuck you. This is funny as hell."

"It'll be even funnier when you get your fingers amputated, you imbecile. Did you even think about taking safety precautions? What were you even trying to blow up, anyways?" I paused for an answer, then realized something else. "What the hell were you doing blowing things up while watching my son? Huh?"

Iggy reached up with his bandaged, IV hand and tapped his chin. "What _was _I trying to blow up?"

I huffed. "You are unbelievable."

Iggy snickered. "Some things are more important than sex, Max."

"Not today!" I hissed. I stood up, glancing at the others.

"Come on, Em, let's go get some grub. I'm sure everyone's hungry. I know I am."

"Hungry…for Fang…" Iggy struggled through choked laughter. I flicked him on the forehead. He groaned, letting his head fall back onto his pillow.

Emma stood up and the two of us walked into the hall.

"If you're going to talk about how badly you want to do it with my brother, you should take Aaron or Nudge instead."

I was a little surprised at that comment. "Uh, _actually_, I was going to talk to you about the Gasman."

Now she was surprised. She looked up at me, her dark eyes wide. "What about him?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

Emma blushed, watching her shoes as we stepped into the elevator. "There's nothing to tell."

"Right. Like Nudge said there was nothing to tell when I asked her about Riley, then a week later I found them making out on the couch."

"I would never kiss Gazzy! That's disgusting! I'm going to throw up just thinking about it!"

I looked down at her for a few seconds, smirking. As if she could fool me? Pfft. When the elevator doors open, I stepped out and Emma groaned, grabbing my wrist. She pulled me into the hospital hallway and yanked on my arm so I'd lean down.

Then, she whispered in my ear, "You can't tell Fang."

I was about to assure her that this conversation was strictly between us when she said, "I know you and my brother tell each other everything but you can't tell Fang at _all_."

"We do _not _tell each other everything-" I insisted indignantly.

She gave me a look. "Yes, you do."

I frowned. She was right, of course. "In my defense, it's not easy keeping secrets from someone who can read my mind. Sue me."

Emma began to wring her hands as we walked toward the hospital cafeteria.

"But, honestly, Em - Fang already knows that you and Gazzy like each other. I mean, I'm pretty sure most of the flock knows by now-"

"Gazzy kissed me!" Emma said out of nowhere.

Aw. I beamed down at her, my heart swelling, and she frowned. She punched my arm and damn, Fang was teaching her well. I rubbed the injury, my smile fading.

"Don't look at me like that. And _don't _tell Fang!"

"I won't," I said, understanding why she didn't want me to spill. Gazzy was thirteen, and Em was twelve. Fang would probably not react well to their budding romance. Even though, hello, we all saw it coming. "What was it like? How did he do it?"

Emma shrugged, looking uncomfortable under my scrutiny. I didn't care - this was freaking adorable. I couldn't wait to tell F-

Was I really _that _bad? Jesus.

"He just…did it. We were watching _The 40 Year Old Virgin_-"

"That movie is really inappropriate!" I said in surprise. Aaron had gotten it for Fang for Christmas. Actually, Aaron had gotten us a whole plethora of inappropriate movies. _The_ _40 Year Old Virgin _was one of the _less _raunchy ones. Emma gave me a look.

"Right, we live with Iggy. Gotcha. Continue."

Seriously. Iggy's mind was where innocence went to die.

"We were watching the movie, and we were both falling asleep. I don't know. He just kissed me. We haven't really talked since then, but he keeps trying to get me alone so we _can _talk about it."

"That's kind of what it was like after Fang kissed me for the first time," I began, then noticed the disgusted look on Emma's face. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not about to get gross on you. I'm just saying…I avoided him for a few days after he kissed me. Then my mom drugged me up and I proclaimed my undying love for him on an operating table."

"Romantic."

I nudged her. We both grabbed foam containers and started loading them with food in the cafeteria. Hospital food sucked, but it'd have to do.

Once we'd filled ten boxes of food, we shuffled back to the elevators.

"Em, I think you should talk to him."

"What if we can't be friends anymore?" Emma asked softly.

"What if you can be more than friends?" I retorted. She sighed.

"I don't know, Max…"

"Just talk to him, Emma. I promise you won't regret it." What I really wanted to say was, _Gazzy loves you and you two are going to make the cutest babies! _But I didn't because they're preteens, and it was probably just the pregnancy hormones talking anyways.

She nodded. "Max, please don't tell Fang. Not yet."

"Okay," I said.

She kept staring at me.

"I won't!" I insisted.

Emma shook her head. "I know you, as soon as we walk in there you're going to tell him!"

"Okay, how about I give you a secret, too. That way, if I do slip up and Fang gets mad at you, you can tell my secret."

Emma beamed. I inwardly rolled my eyes. Blackmail is always such fun for preteens.

"I'm pregnant."

"_Whaaat_? Again? Really?"

The elevator doors opened and we walked toward Iggy's room. "Really. Now you can't tell anyone. No one knows yet."

"Okay!" Em ran forward and went into Iggy's room, distributing boxes. I did the same, then went over to where Fang was sitting on the ground with Ty in his lap. I took the baby and replaced it with a box of food.

"Hey," he said. "You talk to her?"

"Yeah…" I trailed off, brushing my thumb over Tyler's cheek. He was still sleeping.

"Well?" Fang persisted.

Oh, my God! He was freaking interrogating me. He might as well have pulled out a desk lamp and shone it in my eyes!

I chewed on my lip. _Gaz kissed her, _I thought, glancing across the room at Emma, as if she could sense that I was spilling her secret. _But don't tell her I told you, because I told her I was pregnant and unless we want everyone to know right now, you better keep your mouth shut. I told her she could blackmail me with that if you caused shit. _

Fang rolled his eyes. _Why would I cause shit if I was the one who told Gaz to make a move in the first place? _

My eyes widened at this confession. "Really? You did?" I whispered.

_He came to me the other day, saying there was "a girl from school that I didn't know" that he really liked. _Fang offered me a bite from our food and I accepted. _I'm not stupid. _

"You gave him the okay to kiss her?" I whispered so lowly only he could here me. "Damn, did you give him condoms, too?"

Fang blanched, and I realized that joke was a bit too far. "That was _not _funny," Fang said, scarping the foam container with the plastic fork. He put down the fork and looked at me, his eyes blazing. "That was not a funny joke at all."

I put my hand on his arm. "Sorry," I said, trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry."

I heard a gasp from across the room. Emma was staring at Fang and I. "Max!"

She must've seen Fang look at me angrily…then me, apologizing…and she thought…

"Em, no, I didn't-"

The look of betrayal on Emma's face - combined with a blush at the thought of her brother knowing what we'd talked about - made her stand up and clench her fists by her sides. Her face was bright red. Finally, she managed to exclaim:

"Max is knocked up, _again_!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Updates! Updates for everyone!**

**Um. I probably won't be updating **_**The Hardest Part **_**until Sunday. Fyi. **

**Also: Anyone else having trouble with mobile fanfiction? Because I am, and it's frustrating.**

**NOTE: Max, Fang, Iggy, Holden and Aaron are twenty-one. You can do the math for the others. **

**Deleted Scene Three: When Max gets shot on the job. A couple months before Max gets pregnant with the third baby, Maya.**

"I hate you," Aaron said angrily, slamming his foot on the gas and running the red light. His siren was on, and cars were getting out of his way, but a lot could happen in the ten minutes it took to get to the hospital. "I hate you so much."

Max moaned. She was barely conscious, bleeding all over the passenger seat of his cruiser. "You should be thanking me."

Aaron pounded his fist down on the steering wheel. "Thanking you for what? Damn it, Max, I told you not to go in there without back-up - you knew the dick was armed!"

"We can't just sit around and let people get away because they're armed," Max spat through gritted teeth, wincing with each intake of breath. She was pressing the wound in her abdomen, even though Aaron wasn't sure what that was helping at this point.

"Well, you sure showed him!" Aaron growled sarcastically. The guy had a bullet wound in his hand and Max was bleeding to death on the way to the hospital. Maybe she'd die, but at least she'd leveled the playing field, huh?

"Ah, _damn it_," Max groaned.

Aaron shot her a worried glance. His mind was racing. They were only a minute away from the hospital. He only hoped a minute wasn't too long. Max's eyes were fluttering shut against her will, and her moans of pain we getting more agonized.

"We're almost there," Aaron said. "I hate you for putting me in this position."

"Love you, too," Max joked breathlessly, "partner."

"Hilarious. Really. You need to learn how to take precautions. You can't just run into a place with an armed robber, okay? You've got to know what you're getting into." Aaron glanced over at Max, who was not moving.

"Goddamn it," he hissed. He flew into the hospital parking lot and sped into the emergency drive. He stepped out of the car. An EMT came running out of the hospital.

"What do you have, officer?" the young man asked, grabbing a gurney.

"Maximum Ride," Aaron said, lifting her out of the car and walking straight into the hospital, not stopping to strap her to the gurney. "Bullet wound. Severe case of idiocy. Hopefully, you can fix both."

• • •

Nudge was in the middle of failing a Chemistry test when she got a pass from the office. _Emergency _was scrawled into the reason blank. Nudge stared down at it, her heart thumping. It was as if everything else slowed to a stop. What?

Emergency?

After years of life-or-death emergencies, Nudge could only imagine what was happening now. She scooped up her backpack and handed her half-completed test into her teacher. Then she hurried into the hall without another word.

Emergency?

When Nudge got to the office, her heart dropped. The Gasman, Emma, Angel - they were all waiting, too, with all their things.

"What is it? What happened?" Nudge demanded. They all looked at her with worried eyes. Even Angel didn't know.

Maybe it was just an excuse. Sometimes Max and Fang would do that - take them out for no reason. Sometimes they'd make up reasons to pull the kids out of school. Only, usually, it said something like _dentist appointment. _Not emergency.

The four of them left together. Ella and Iggy were waiting in the parking lot. No Fang. No Max.

"God, what happened?" Nudge demanded, sliding into the van. "Where's Fang? Where's Max?"

"Everything's okay," Ella said nervously, glancing at Iggy who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Tell us what's going on," Gazzy insisted, buckling in next to his sister.

"Aaron called," Iggy said shortly. "Max got hurt today."

"We're going to go see what's up," Ella said. "Fang's already there."

Max got hurt. That could range from anywhere between a broken bone to a fatal wound. She was a police officer, since she'd gone her entire life living on the edge and wasn't going to stop now that the world was saved. Her job put her in a lot of dangerous situations, but she and Aaron took care of each other. Surely it couldn't be that bad…right?

Pfft. Max was stubborn and impulsive. Of course it could be that bad. It didn't matter if Aaron handcuffed her to the car, she'd find a way to do her thing. She always did. Nudge just hoped that this wasn't as dire as it sounded.

Fang was standing in the waiting room with Aaron when they got to the hospital. Aaron was decked out in full police gear, his face contorted in anguish. Fang was holding Aria in one arm. Tyler was sitting on a couch behind him, playing with some of the Gasman's old toy cars.

Nudge and the others went to them immediately. Fang let Nudge take Aria and frowned, looking stressed.

"She's in recovery," Fang said shortly. Nudge nodded, looking back and forth between Aaron and Fang.

"What happened?" Ella asked, glancing at Aaron.

"Armed robbery downtown," Aaron said. "I couldn't hold her back."

"No one can," Iggy said, his eyebrows drawn together.

"She was shot?" Emma asked in surprise.

Aaron grimaced. "In the stomach. She was conscious all the way here, but passed out as soon as I pulled into the parking lot." He rubbed his hand over his face, cursing.

"Nothing you could've done," Fang said quietly. "She doesn't listen to anyone."

"Yeah, don't beat yourself up," Gazzy mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. The all fell into a glum silence.

"Mr. Ride?"

A nurse stood at the entrance to the waiting room, her wide eyes glancing around for Fang. Fang stepped forward. After talking quietly with the nurse, he nodded and walked over to the couch, grabbing Tyler's hand. He then took Aria from Nudge.

"Not too many at once," Fang said. He nodded at Aaron to follow then directed to the others, "I'll be back."

Aaron pulled Tyler up into his arms and followed Fang down the hall, into Max's room. It was a double room. In the other bed was a young man with quite a few broken bones. Before Fang could get a good idea of what had happened to him, the nurse closed the adjoining curtain.

"Hey," Max said weakly, lifting her head off the pillow. Aaron smirked at her, relief clear in his features. He walked before Fang, sat Tyler in one of the chairs by Max's bed and kissed her forehead.

"I hate you so much, Max," he said. "God, you gave me a heart attack."

Max smiled up at him, then glanced at her husband. Fang went to her and leaned down, kissing her gently. She reached up and took Aria from him, situating the baby in the crook of her arm. Aria's eyes were fluttering closed; she was missing her nap, afterall.

"You just can't stay out of trouble," Fang said, sitting next to her on the bed. He brushed her hair back and Max reached up and grabbed his hand with her IV hand. He saw the needle in her wrist and swallowed. He hated when Max was in the hospital. God, he hated it.

"You knew that when you married me," she mumbled.

Fang rolled his eyes. "I knew that when I _met _you."

Max smiled at him. Fang's face grew serious, and he sighed.

"I hate seeing you in here," Fang whispered. Max closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath.

"I don't do it on purpose, trust me."

"I know, Max, but…Christ."

Max's eyebrows scrunched. "I'm a cop, Fang."

"You're a mom, too," Fang said, glancing down at Aria.

"I was a mom when I saved the world," Max said in retort.

"You were," Fang said, nodding. "But you don't need to save the world anymore. You don't need to risk your life everyday to still be you."

"Fang, it's what I do. It's who I am."

Fang shook his head. "We can't lose you, Max."

"You didn't."

_We almost did_, Fang thought. Fang closed his eyes, pausing. She wasn't going to like what he had to say next.

"I think you need to quit the force."

He was right. She didn't like it.

**A/N: My first version of this was better. Review. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ty Burrell is my older-man crush. He's, like, forty, but I'd still marry him. **

**Hey, guys. Long time, no update. **

**I've missed writing normal Max and friends! Currently, as many of you know, I've been writing a very different Max in **_**The Hardest Part. **_**I've definitely missed writing her like this. **

**You know what is just the best thing ever? When an author ends their story by saying: **_**I hope you licked it! **_

**Um, no. I'm sorry. I don't lick fanfictions. **

**Sooooo… this outtake is a little bit different. This was the almost-epilogue of **_**Choices**_**. Honestly, I liked this one better than the one I published, mostly because it gave a lot more insight into Fang's life post-Evelyn. **

**Anyways, this outtake is a bit boring, because you've seen most of the dialogue before. But, this has just been sitting on my hard drive, so I decided to give it some love. Here we go!**

**This one is EXTRA long because you guys are the greatest and I suck at updating. Sorry if you're waiting on an update for **_**The Hardest Part**_**; I'm trying to perfect the rest of the story. **

**Deleted Scene Four: **_**Choices **_**epilogue in Fang's POV**

FANG

It hurts.

No - Ari ripping my abdomen to shreds with his claws hurt.

This…this is just plain _pathetic_.

I don't even realize I'm dreaming until I hear Max's voice: "Fang."

I wake up immediately, but I don't open my eyes. My body visibly relaxes and my teeth unclench; Max notices and sighs, laying back down next to me. I feel her head on my shoulder.

"Just a-"

"I know," she whispers. "I'm sorry."

I could tell her she has nothing to be sorry about; it's not her fault that whenever I'm not sharing a dream with her, I'm being tortured by my mother in a nightmare. It's not her fault I can't get over it. It's not her fault it's been a year already and I still can't escape it.

"Why are you awake?" I shift, pulling her into my arms. I find my answer; she's just in one of my shirts despite the fact that she went to sleep in a pair of sweats and a long sleeve shirt.

"It's hot," she says. I scoot away, giving her space. Obviously, if she's hot, I shouldn't practically lay on top of her.

She pulls me against her again. "No. I want you to hold me."

I kiss her, my fingers sifting through her hair. Max sighs, tilting her head for better access. After a moment, she pulls away.

"Fang, I-"

"I know," I say, kissing her forehead. Look past her at the clock, I see that it's only about three in the morning. "Go to sleep."

She must be tired, because she falls asleep in seconds. I gently untangle myself from her and put on jeans and a jacket. I push my feet into my shoes and open the window.

"Be careful," Max murmurs. I smirk.

"I will."

• • •

"I don't know," Nudge says. "I still think he's gay. He kind of looks like Stanley Tucci's character in _The Devil Wears Prada_. I feel like every time he looks at me, he's criticizing my outfit. The other day he asked me where I got my shoes."

"Who?"

All heads turn in my direction when I walk into the kitchen. Max smiles at me, and she looks less tense than she has in weeks.

_I didn't get sick this morning, _she thinks, pouring Emma orange juice.

_At least I didn't miss the show, _I think back. She smirks, putting the juice back in the fridge.

Really, it gets a little easier to breathe once Max says that. Maybe I was wrong and she isn't pregnant; maybe we were freaking out for the past week for no reason.

"My sub in Math," Nudge says. "Mrs. Montgomery is on maternity leave so we've got this guy substitute. He looks like Nigel from _The Devil Wears Prada_! You know, Nigel?"

The word maternity cuts through me like a knife. I don't have to look at Max to know she winced, too. I look at Nudge. "Nigel?"

Nudge frowns. "Okay. The guy who plays Caesar Flickerman in _The Hunger Games_."

I just stare a her.

Nudge gasps, throwing her hand up and pointing at me. Obviously it's a scandal that I how no freaking idea what she's talking about. "Fang's a freak of nature!"

"We've seen _The Hunger Games_, you idiot," Max says across the kitchen, slathering a chocolate chip bagel with cream cheese. "The one where the kids have to kill each other in that arena thingy."

I nod, even though I don't remember. "Oh, right. Real uplifting."

Max laughs. She takes a bite of her bagel, looking around the kitchen.

"Where's the Gasman? We need to leave in a few minutes."

"Let's leave him," Emma grumbles. She glances up, meets my eyes, and blushes. "Shut up."

I hold my hands up in surrender just as Gazzy makes an appearance.

"Okay, let's roll," Max says. She finishes off her bagel and pulls on a baggy hoodie. "Gaz, go grab a jacket."

"I'm a man," Gazzy mumbles, peeling a banana. "I don't need a jacket."

"Fang's wearing a jacket," she points out.

"Who said Fang's a man?" Gazzy retorts. Angel cackles at that, pulling on a pair of boots Nudge bought her at the mall.

"Jacket," Max says sternly.

"Whatever, _Mom_."

And just like that, it's hard to breathe again. Max looks at me, her eyes wide. I know she's thinking the exact same thing as me.

_Don't jump to conclusions, _I think, because I really can't think of anything else to say. She sighs and starts shuffling people outside.

At school, it only gets worse. Max is one breath away from blowing chunks all over Aaron's back, Ms. Dawson is rambling on about shit no one cares about, and I am already done with school, despite the fact that the day just started.

_Are you going to be sick? _I think, my entire body tense. I watch Max take deep breaths through her nose, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Max, struggling to settle her stomach, shoots me a trying look. She thinks something about me being possessive and annoying, and I glare at her.

Whatever. She can throw up on every kid in the fucking class. I certainly won't help her.

_Not if I can help it._

Aaron turns to her and says something. Max takes her pencil bag and shoves it at him, her empty hand curling into a fist.

She is gonna blow…

Her thoughts are completely focused on not getting sick. Like, if she doesn't throw up, it won't be true. If she doesn't vomit, our lives won't totally change forever.

_We're going today_, I think to her._ After school._

I see Max grit her teeth in frustration - and, though she would never admit it, fear.

_I don't -_

_I don't care, _I think. _We're going._

Max blocks me out for the rest of class.

• • •

Who knew it was even possible to have a panic attack over two little plastic sticks?

I want to comfort Max as she picks which test to buy, but all of my thoughts are pretty negative right now so I just grab one and put it in her hands.

What the hell are we going to do with a kid?

We're eighteen. I guess old enough. I guess…prepared enough. But, Christ…a kid is a big deal. If I can't even keep myself from having goddamn nightmares, how can I scare off my own kid's demons? If I'm constantly tortured by my own thoughts and memories, how can I possibly raise a kid? If I can barely make Max and the others feel safe, then how…

Max looks completely emotionless as she reads the box label. She chews on her lip, Finally, she snatches another box off the shelf and grabs my wrist, dragging me out of the aisle and into the checkout line. I glance around, hoping no one notices that its us. The last thing we need is a leak to the tabloids - whether Max is pregnant or not.

Max won't even look at me, which makes it even worse. I wish she would just tell me what she is thinking; I know she's worried, but so am I. And even though I'm not sure how we're going to handle this, I know we _will_. We always get through it. And maybe it won't even be a bad thing; it's not like we were never going to have kids…

On the ride home, I reach over and grab her hand.

"Even if…" I trail off. "You have nothing to worry about. You're practically a mom already."

"It's different," Max whispers.

"Not really," I say lightly. Although it really, really is.

"Well, then you're practically a dad, too," Max says.

If my past is any indication of what kind of dad I am going to be, I really hope Max isn't pregnant. Jeez. I left three times, twice on purpose. Caused the others more problems than I solved.

"Stop it," Max says, shooting me a hard look.

"Like your mind is any better," I accuse. Then, at the look on her face, I take a breath. "Sorry. We're going to be fine, Max. I promise."

She nods and carries the bag inside and upstairs. I start giving out dinner to everyone.

Conversation goes on as usual, and I butt in each time when needed. Really, though, I'm too preoccupied to pay attention. I make Max eat, and shoot her glances every now and then. She feels my eyes on her but she doesn't say anything.

"I'm going to take a bath," she says finally, and I silently watch her move upstairs.

Aaron watches me watch Max, and when we hear the bathroom door close, he raises an eyebrow.

"Did I cause a fight between you guys?"

Yes. "No," I say. Because even though he technically did, that's not what's going on.

"Sure," Aaron says, rolling his eyes. "Well, whatever's up with you two, you'll get over it. You always do."

I stare at Aaron. What he says shocks me for some reason, even though I already know that he is right. Max and I have always overcome any obstacle that stood in our way. And…maybe right now, this all looked like an obstacle or a mistake. But maybe it was secretly a blessing in disguise.

Almost an hour later, I go to find Max. The bathroom door is still locked, so I figure she is still in the bath. I knock on the door gently.

"Yeah?"

"It's been almost an hour," I say, leaning my forehead against the doorframe. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I…dozed off," Max says. I hear the water slosh and then the tub begins to drain. "Give me a second."

"I'll wait," I say. When Max is done, she opens the door and I push into the room immediately I shut the door behind me. I pull Max to me, pushing my forehead to hers. I close my eyes and kiss her, stroking her back. I didn't miss the two tests sitting face-down on the table.

"Are you worried?" Max asks nervously, her fingers gripping his shirt.

"I…" I look at her. She's staring up at me, her eyes wide and full of a million different emotions, and all I can think is: I love her so much.

_I hope they're positive, _he thinks.

"Really?" she asks, her voice full of surprise and a different emotion I can't place. Her eyes water and she blinks rapidly.

I reach past her and grab the tests, trying not to let my hands shake.

"We'll look together, okay?"

Max nods, looking dazed, and takes one of the tests from me.

Before we look, I kiss her. It's exactly what she needs, apparently, because after that she grabs my hand and smiles anxiously up at me. In that second, I know that I'll be upset if the tests are negative.

"Ready?"

She nods. Time stops for a second.

We look at the pregnancy tests.

The worn _PREGNANT _stares back up at me and I feel like…I feel like I've just been punched in the stomach. Me. A dad. Huh.

Me, a dad.

"So…does this mean your boobs are going to get bigger?"

Max looks at me like she doesn't even know me. "Fang, seriously."

She displays the results of the test in her hand, as if they don't say the same thing.

"Yeah, I know."

"We're pregnant and you want to know if my boobs are gonna grow?" Max demands. "Are you twelve?"

I smirk. She looks beautiful - kind of confused and worried but amused at my reaction, and it's then that I know we can handle this. I know that I wouldn't change anything.

"Yeah, I guess they are going to get bigger. Along with the rest of me."

"Stomach I can deal with - at least other guys will stop hitting on you. And butt…well, we both know I won't have a problem with that."

Max flinches, so I pull her close. Suddenly, the tension is gone and we're Max and Fang, again. Just this time, instead of _weird, dysfunctional couple_, we're _Max and Fang, weird, pregnant dysfunctional couple_. It suits us.

"Just more of you to love," I say with a grin, then I crush my lips to hers.

_This is good, _I think, holding her close. _Good news. _

Then, Max says something that just makes me love her more than ever before.

"Looks like Aaron is about to get twenty bucks poorer."

"NO!"

Max and I both jump at the sudden interruption. Before we can do anything, the door flies open and Aaron rips the tests out of our hands. Once he sees the results, he lets out a loud groan of defeat.

"We were _so close_! Only three months to go!"

Max reaches forward and slams the door in his face. I can hear Aaron forking over the money to Iggy. I can also hear Iggy thanking the Universe for, and I quote, _Max and Fang's inability to 'keep it safe'. _

_Bam! _I lean in and kiss Max as Aaron tries to break down the door with his fist.

"How could you, Fang?"

_Bam!_

"What about our plan to go on that road trip to the top ten most amazing strip clubs in America?"

I shake my head at Max, my eyes wide, as if this is the first I've heard of that idea. She rolls her eyes. "That was never a plan."

_Bam! _

"_It was, too, you asshole_!"

Now she's challenging me, raising her eyebrow. I grin.

"It was Aaron's idea."

_Bam!_

"Fang! You ruin everything!"

_You okay? _I think.

I nod. _Yeah. _

_Bam!_

"Max, I'm telling your mom!"

Max shoves me out of the way, bursts out of the bathroom, and slams Aaron into the wall. She fists his shirt in her hand, looking up at him menacingly.

"_No, you aren't_!"

"No, Max, I won't, I won't. I'd never…"

Max slowly backs away from Aaron. She glances at me, then at the other two, and says quietly, "_No one _is telling _anyone_."

The three of us nod in sync.

"Wait," Iggy says, scratching his head. "You want the four of us to keep a secret?"

We all just look at each other. Max brushes her hair back, sighing.

"Bad choice," Aaron says.

I pull Max against me, kissing her forehead.

"Hey, Max!"

The four of us jumped; Iggy lets out the most feminine squeal I've ever heard. Max snatches the two tests out of Aaron's hand and spins to look at her sister.

"Ella!" Aaron and Iggy shouted.

"Hey, El!" Max says nervously. "What's going on?"

Ella looks at the four of us, her face contorted in a look of confusion.

"You guys are fucking weird."

Max and I glance at each other.

Yeah. This was going to be fun.

**A/N: So, yeah. Hope I didn't bore you to tears. Review. **


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